Albert Boggess III

Albert Boggess III passed away peacefully while visiting family in Colorado Springs on December 25, 2020. Albert Boggess III was born on January 30, 1929 in Dallas Texas and was raised by his parents, Albert Boggess Jr. and Mina Montgomery Boggess in Dallas and in Austin Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Nancy Weber Boggess and he is survived by his three children, Albert Boggess IV, Edward Deeds Boggess, and Amenda Boggess Stanley. In addition, he has multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren. Throughout his long life, he was a loving husband and father and he had a friendly and calming persona, which touched everyone he met. Albert Boggess III was part of a long family lineage of Albert Boggesses, starting with his great grandfather (1839-1891). Numerous family photos and further family history is available at the University of Texas Physics History site. Albert Boggess III had an extraordinary career as an astrophysicist. He received his Bachelor's Degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin. He also had a passion for music and played clarinet and saxophone in the University of Texas Marching Band and in jazz clubs in the Austin area. After graduation, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Michigan where he met his wife Nancy. After postdoc appointments at Johns Hopkins and the Naval Research Laboratory, he then joined NASA as an astrophysicist and played a key role in many NASA projects. In particular, he served as the project scientist for the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spacecraft, which launched in 1978. The IUE allowed scientists for the first time to view galaxies, quasars, supernovas and other astronomical objects in the ultraviolet spectrum. He then served as the project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched in 1990. The Hubble could view the universe through a wide range of frequencies from the ultraviolet through visible light and into the near infrared. It brought back over a million images and it has been a fundamental tool in answering many compelling questions about our universe. Although Albert III was an astronomer working for NASA for most of his professional life, he was also a natural born teacher. He would love to explain science to colleagues, schoolchildren, and family members. He had a real knack for explaining a key scientific idea in terms that his audience could readily understand. After retiring from NASA in the early 1990s, Albert and Nancy moved to Boulder Colorado. Among their many activities, they traveled the world to pursue their hobby in bird watching. Together, they documented observations of over 8000 species of birds. Albert will be forever missed by his family. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please make a donation to a charity of your choice.